In this day and age, it seems like GPS (a satellite-based signal system) has made the good, old-fashioned magnetic compass a bit obsolete. In fact, you hardly have to notice which way is north or south anymore. Just pull out your phone, insert your destination, and let your handy-dandy GPS do all the work, right? Well, wrong, actually! In stationary devices, GPS does not provide pointing direction. Satellite signals can also get jammed or masked–for example, when trying to receive a signal underwater. Believe it or not, we still need magnetic navigation, and modern cell phones have magnetic navigation systems built into them. That’s helpful for helping you find the quickest route to the airport, but could those digital magnetometers be useful for taking reliable scientific measurements as well? That’s a question that CrowdMag aims to answer.

The CrowdMag project is conducted by the geomagnetism group of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). They study the ever-changing geomagnetic field of the earth, and strive to keep models updated so that information integrated into the navigation systems of smartphones, planes, cars, ships, etc., and GPS systems can tell which way is north (see, compasses aren’t passé!). They do this through large-scale operations on ships, observatories, satellites, etc. However, there are always gaps in coverage–both in time and space–so the NCEI created the CrowdMag app to see if they could crowdsource data from smartphones and fill in those gaps in geomagnetic data. As with all citizen science initiatives, the more participation, the better result will be found! Here’s what you need to know:

The app is available for both Apple and Android devices. All you need to do is download it to your phone, and share your magnetic data. CrowdMag does not access personal data on your phone (like your email, name, etc.) and data is stored in a secure, non-public database at the NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information in Boulder, C.O. This is exactly what is utilized from the information you share:

Time of measurement

Location

Location accuracy

Magnetic data from Phone’s Magnetic Sensor

Phone’s model

The data taken from your phone will be used to assess whether or not crowdsourced data is accurate for use in magnetic field models, and will occasionally also be used for maps, mathematical equations, charts, etc., which is pretty cool! While you do not need to do anything beyond download and share your magnetic data, the app also includes some interesting graphs and info shared by other users, so you can have fun playing around with that as well! And hey, you really have a vested interest in this project: if you’d like your next phone’s navigation system to stop trying to take you through that pasture on your way home, without having to do much more than click a few buttons, with CrowdMag!

I’ve got a really fun project to share with you guys today! Who out there has wasted way more time than they’re proud to admit playing some kind of mindless game on their phone? (*Raises hand*) Candy Crush or 2048, anyone? Yeah, we all probably have a game or two that we use to pass the time when we are waiting in line or need to blow off some steam at the end of a long day. Well, what if you could multitask, and play a few simple, fun games on your phone or iPad, while contributing to scientific research on quantum error correction? That’s an opportunity that Dr. James Wootten, a scientist with the University of Basel, has created with his new app, Decodoku.

Decodoku is totally free, with no ads or in-app purchases. As Dr. Wootten says on his blog, “It’s for science, not for money!” It is currently only offered for iPhone and iPad, though an Android version is on the way. The vision of the project is quite similar to that of this blog–to convince everyday people that you can do science! You don’t have to be a university-tenured scientist in the field of quantum error correction to contribute. You simply play the game, try to get the highest score possible, figure out the methods you used to get there, and, if you’d like to, report your findings to decodoku@gmail.com or tweet @decodoku on Twitter. Dr. Wootten makes it very clear that you are under no obligation to share what you find, and they won’t use it without your permission.

So what exactly is quantum error correction, and how does an entertaining little grid game help us learn more about it? Well, Dr. Wootten gives a handy introduction to quantum error correction and the science behind the game, with some helpful analogies in laymen’s terms in this blog post. In a one-sentence summary, quantum error correction tries to “un-garble” the messages that quantum computers send, which will have naturally-occurring errors over time.

How does this translate to the objective of the two games–ℤ10 and Φ-Λ–in Decodoku? Well, your score is basically the number of moves you managed to make before everything gets too messed up, and the system locks up. If you were a scientist, this would be the amount of time your quantum computer would survive before the errors completely overwhelmed it and it crashed. I won’t get too deep into the nitty-gritty of the rules of the game (basically, you’re trying to find numbers in adjoining grids that add up to 10) but here’s a handy gameplay video, if you’d like a visual example, and for those of you who enjoy code and understanding the inner-workings of a game, there are several in-depth posts about it on the project’s blog. Have fun testing out a new way to kill time as you wait for the bus, and don’t forget to report any tips or tricks you discover in obtaining new high scores–remember, “it’s for science!”

When oil or cargo is spilled into the ocean, the first indication that something has gone wrong is usually debris washing up on shore or changes to coastal wildlife. The citizens who live and work in coastal communities will often be “first responders” of sorts–noticing that something has changed in the natural daily observations that come with living near, and interacting with, the ocean. But how can this naturally-occurring compendium of data be harnessed and utilized by marine scientists?

The BeachObserver app, created by Coastal and Ocean Resources in British Columbia, seeks to simplify the recording of these observations and centralize data submitted by a network of engaged, everyday individuals. According to the app creators’ site:

The main objectives of the project are to promote citizen science, develop baselines, and analyze change. BeachObserver facilitates the recording, sharing, and networking of credible shoreline observations including wildlife, plants, beach cast animals, and marine debris with geo-tagged observations and photos.

The hope is that BeachObserver will be on as many mobile devices as possible to take advantage of the law of large numbers–in other words, the more observations we can record, the more accurate a picture of shoreline conditions we’ll get, and the more useful the data will be. Currently, the app is only available for Apple devices, and costs only $1.39 to download–and programmers hope to have an Android version rolled out by the end of the year. If you’re not an Apple-toting citizen scientist, though, you can still use the browser-based version, which is Chrome- and Safari-compatible.

Using BeachObserver is really simple and user-friendly. There’s a handy video tutorial here, or, you can just play around with the app and site to familiarize yourself with it, like I did! Basically, you’re given the option of looking at the map of current observations, or entering one yourself. Looking at the map is interesting and fun–you can refine your search by what type of observation was noted, how long ago the data was entered, where it was found, etc. There are observations from all over the U.S. and even some worldwide! It’s interesting to see what’s being found as we speak. You can use this tool just for browsing, or it would definitely be useful if you want to check your findings against other people in your area.

If you want to enter an observation of your own, you simply choose from the five categories offered (biological, man-made, chemical, habitat, or “other”), then click through a series of sub-categories offered until you arrive at the specific definition of the debris you’ve spotted. You then have the option to write in notes about what you’ve found, and include a picture.

BeachObserver is an extremely low-cost, easy way for those of us living in, or even just visiting, coastal environments to get involved in marine health and safety–with the click of a few buttons. Let’s work together to keep our coastlines (and the people and animals that live there) protected for many years to come!

In a previous post, I made some predictions about the future of citizen science. One of the things I said I was most excited about was the potential for mobile to really tap into the potential for the movement.

I believe we’re starting to see that now. This week’s post is about a tool called SENSR, which allows anyone to quickly and easily start a citizen science project. I’ve covered a few roll your own toolkits before, but this one is specifically geared toward grassroots movements, and is designed to use mobile platforms. The project is backed by a team at Carnegie Mellon University.

“If you are running a grassroots project for science, education, environmental conservation, community monitoring, or other reason, and are seeking ways to expand citizen scientists’ participation in contributing data, SENR can help you create a mobile data collection tool for your project,” say organizers.

Creating a project couldn’t be simpler. To get started, all you need is:

“Our system not only helps you build the data collection tool, but also distribute your campaigns and activities to the world. People who download and use the SENSR iPhone application will see them on their devices, and it is easy as just clicking one button to participate in your activity. A small amount of time and effort of individuals in helping collect data will change the world.”

If starting a project is not your thing, there’s still plenty of ways to get involved. The site lists more than 25 projects that you can participate in, simply by downloading the SENSR app and joining a project. For example, there’s a woolly bear caterpillar project, and another one dedicated to tracking amphibians in St. Louis.